Marble game apparatus



y 3, 1956 N. J. ORSINI MARBLE GAME APPARATUS Filed Sept. 11, 1953 INVENTOR.

NELZO J. o/asnv/ BY MARBLE GAME APPARATUS Nello J. OrsiniIRoyal Oak, Mini.

Application September 11, 1953, Serial No. 379,573

1 Claim. (Cl. 273120) This invention relates to marble game apparatus and more particularly to a game apparatus which can be disassembled and reduced to a compact condition for shipment and storage and easily assembled for use.

It is among the objects of the invention to provide an improved marble game apparatus comprising a number of separable parts which can be disconnected and placed together to reduce the apparatus to a compact condition for storage or for packaging and transportation, and which can be quickly and easily assembled in operative relationship for use; which can be supported for use on a table or floor or other suitable horizontally disposed supporting surface; which can be used by a plurality of players at the same time; and which provides a highly entertaining marble game involving elements of both skill and chance.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the following description and the appended claim in conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure l is a perspective view of a marble game device or apparatus illustrative of the invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary cross sectional view on the line 2-2 of Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the marble game apparatus illustrated in Figure 1 with certain of the parts disconnected.

With continued reference to the drawing, the marble game, as illustrated, comprises a centerpiece generally indicated at lit, and four ramp structures, as generally indicated at l1, 12, 13 and 14, radiating outwardly from the centerpiece lit at substantially equal angular intervals around the centerpiece and detachably secured at their inner ends to the corresponding side edges of the centerpiece.

The entire apparatus may be formed of suitable sheet material, such as sheet metal or a synthetic resin plastic in sheet form, and the centerpiece ltl may be of square shape, although it may be circular or polygonal, if desired, without in any way exceeding the scope of the invention. The centerpiece comprises a flat plate portion 15 having spaced apart, partly circular depressions 16 formed therein to provide ball or marble receiving pockets, and the sheet material of which the centerpiece is formed is folded to provide partly doubled flanges, as indicated at 17, 13, 19 and 20 extending one around each corner of the plate portion 15 of the centerpiece and above and below the plate portion, so that the plate portion will be supported above a horizontal supporting surface on which the apparatus is placed. The flanges have their ends spaced apart to provide spaces disposed symmetrically of the length of each edge of the plate portion 15 and within each space, as indicated at 22 in Figure 3, an outwardly projecting tongue 24 of the plate portion is turned downwardly to a position substantially at right angles to the plate portion and extends to the bottom edges of the adjacent corner flanges. Each of the Patented July 3, 1956 ice downwardly turned tongues 24 is provided with a pair of spaced apart keyhole apertures, as indicated at 25 and 26 in Figure 3, the purpose of which will presently appear.

Each of the ramp structures comprises a flat ramp surface 28 which, when the apparatus is in assembled condition, as illustrated in Figure 1, is inclined upwardly from the end of the ramp portion adjacent the centerpiece 169 to the other end of the ramp portion and each ramp portion comprises folded over side flanges 30 and 31 extending along corresponding edges of the ramp surface 25 in spaced apart and parallel relationship to each other, and an end flange 32 at the outer end of the ramp structure. The side flanges 30 and 31 are provided along their bottom edges with outwardly and upwardly curved flange formations, as indicated at 33, to reinforce these flanges and provide a smooth footing at the bottom edges of the ramp structures to rest upon the surface of a supporting floor, table, or other structure.

At its inner end each ramp structure is provided with a downwardly turned tongue formation 34- constituted by a terminal extension of the corresponding ramp portion 28, the tongue formation 34 being disposed perpendicular to the plane of the bottom edges of the side flanges 30 and 31.

Spaced apart, headed rivets, as indicated at 35 and 36, are secured to the ramp structure tongue 34 and are engageable in the keyhole apertures 25 and 26 in the corresponding centerpiece tongue 24 to releasably secure the ramp structure at its inner end to the corresponding side edge of the centerpiece it). The ramp structures can be connected to the centerpiece by slightly raising the inner end of a ramp structure, inserting the rivet heads through the larger, upper ends of the corresponding keyhole apertures 25 and 26 and then pushing the inner end of the ramp structure downwardly, so that the shank portions of the rivets are received in the narrow, lower portions of the keyhole apertures. Obviously, the ramp structures can be separated from the centerpiece by first raising the inner end of a ramp structure to bring the heads of the rivets into registry with the larger ends of the corresponding keyhole apertures in the tongue of the centerpiece and then pulling the ramp structure away from the centerpiece.

When all of the ramp structures are assembled with the centerpiece, as illustrated in Figure 1, the ramp portion of each ramp structure is downwardly inclined from the end of the associated ramp structure toward the centerpiece, and a player may roll a marble or small ball down a ramp structure and onto the plate portion 15 of the centerpiece where the ball will come to rest in one of the depressions or pockets 16. Each pocket is provided with a score number, as indicated at 33, and the balls or marbles used by the different players are preferably differently colored or otherwise distinguishable, so that a total score for each player can be obtained, all players being provided with a predetermined number of marbles or calls at the beginning of the game.

The ramp structures are of substantially rectangular shape and preferably have a length substantially the same as the width of the centerpiece it so that, when the ramp structures have been disconnected from the centerpiece, they can be stacked on the centerpiece to provide a compact package which can be easily stored or canbe placed in a carton of minimum size for shipment.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claim rather than by the foregoing deseripti'on, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claim are, therefore, intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed is:

In a marble game, a centerpiece com-prising a sheet member having; a rectangular, flat main portion lying in a horizontal plane to provide a playing surface and formed with a plurality of marble-receiving cavities, said main portion having a marginal part formed at each corner of the portion as a flange extending upward- 1y from the main portion and extending about the corner to provide an abutment, the several abutments closing in said playing surface at its corners, said marginal part being formed, at eachsideof the main portion between the corners thereof, as adepending flange elevating the main portion above a supporting surface; a plurality of ramp structures, one for each side of the main portion and: radiating outwardly from the main portion, each ramp structure comprising a single sheet of material shaped to include an inclined ramp surface the lower end of which merges into the playing surface, folded over side flanges extending along the side edges of said ramp surface to wall the same in along its opposite sides, and a depending tongue formed upon and extending transversely of'the ramp structure at the low end of the ramp surface in face to face contact with said depending flange of the main portion; and means interengaging between the contacting tongues and depending main portion flanges and detachably connecting the same together in the face-contacting relation thereof, comprising headed rivets projecting forwardly from said tongue, said depending flange having spaced keyhole apertures, the apertures having narrow portions at their lower ends receiving the headed rivets on registration of the bottom edges of the tongue and depending flange, whereby to separably lock the ramp structure to the centerpiece on disposition of the same upon a supporting surface with which said bottom edges are in contact, said ramp structure when lifted from said supporting surface being disposed with the rivets in registration with the wider, upper ends of the apertures for removal of the rivets from the apertures.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

